Moscow

Since opening its doors in Russia in 1992, Gowlings Moscow has continued to earn recognition as a leading legal services provider for all aspects of intellectual property law in Russia and the CIS. The office, comprising some of Russia's top trade mark, copyright and patent professionals, has recently been featured in a number of international legal rankings such as Chambers Global, PLC Which Lawyer?, Managing Intellectual Property and Guide to the World's Leading Trade Mark Law Practitioners.

According to Chambers Global, Gowlings Moscow is "very highly regarded and well positioned in the market," two factors that propelled the office to a top-five ranking for IP services in Russia. The guide, published by Chambers and Partners, describes Gowlings Moscow as "occupy[ing] a niche within this area, attracting more international clients than its direct competitors," and as being "a great specialist outfit that has built up a reputation over the past decade through the very effective management of its lawyers." Gowlings Moscow professional, Marina Drel, is highlighted as being "definitely recommended" for her IP expertise.

Gowlings Moscow has been named a "Leading Firm" by PLC Which Lawyer?, one of only two firm's in Russia to receive such an honour. In praising the office as "a well-known player" in Russia, the guide highlights Marina Drel for her "outstanding practice." Marina is also listed as one of only two "Leading Individuals" in IP. And Gowlings Moscow Patent Attorney, Vladimir Dementiev, is one of only five "Recommended Individuals" in IP.

The office is prominently featured in the recently released Managing Intellectual Property World IP Survey, where it earned a strong top five ranking for its patent work in non-contentious and contentious matters. It also received a top 12 ranking for Trade Mark Prosecution, and was top 10 in Trade Mark Contentious work in Russia.

As in previous years, The Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Trade Mark Law Practitioners features Marina Drel. Marina is one of only 12 trade mark professionals in Russia to have been named in the publication. Other notable publications, such as the Guide to the World's Leading Patent Law Practitioners and the International Who's Who of Patent Lawyers regularly feature Vladimir Dementiev, noting his experience and expertise. Mr. Dementiev is joined by his Gowlings Moscow colleague, Viacheslav Kliukin, in being recommended in The Legal 500 – Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Gowlings Moscow is a key member of one of the largest and most prominent IP practices in the world – Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (Gowlings). Gowlings has been recognized by Practical Law Company as one of the top-12 IP firms in the world. Gowlings was also named "Canadian IP Firm of the Year," "Canadian Patent Firm of the Year," and in 2008, "Canadian Patent Prosecution Firm of the Year" by Managing Intellectual Property.

The domestic and international recognition Gowlings Moscow has received speaks not only to its high-level legal expertise, but also to its superior client service. Through its reputation as a client-focussed and service-driven law firm, Gowlings Moscow has been enlisted by industry leaders across all sectors, including technology, consumer products and luxury goods, retail, and oil and gas, to provide a full-range of IP services, including:

• Trade mark and patent protection
• Copyright and neighbouring rights
• Domain name registration and domain name infringements
• Trade mark and copyright protection on the Internet
• Anti-counterfeiting, anti-piracy and infringement actions
• Litigation and dispute resolution
• Representation of rights holders at governmental law enforcement agencies
• Licensing and assigning of IP
• Distribution and franchising
• Technology transfer and licensing
• Unfair competition
• Trade secrets and information protection
• Advertising
• Customs registration of IP objects

With a comprehensive network of legal and non-legal agents throughout the CIS, Gowlings Moscow is a "one-stop shop" for IP protection in the region and around the world.

The Moscow office is led by four partners: David Aylen, until recently a senior intellectual property partner at Gowlings in Canada, recently assumed the Managing Director position of Gowlings Moscow. He is the first Canadian partner to be appointed full time resident partner of Gowlings Moscow.

He joins Marina Drel, an internationally recognized lawyer whose practice emphasizes IP litigation, enforcement and anti-counterfeiting, Internet domain name infringements, unfair competition and advertising. Vladimir Dementiev, a recognized leader in patents, and Viacheslav Kliukin, who is renown for his trade marks expertise. Gowlings Moscow brings the in-depth knowledge and legal expertise required to effectively manage clients' complete range of IP needs in Russia and the CIS.

Intellectual Property Expertise

Gowlings Moscow comprises a team of professionals skilled in all aspects of the registration and enforcement of IP rights.

David Aylen is a Canadian Intellectual Property lawyer with over 25 years of litigaton and prosecution experience. He is Certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a Specialist in Intellectual Property [trade marks; patents; and copyright], having received that designation in 1998. He is very active at the INTA where he served for three years on the Board of Governors of the Brand Names Education Foundation (BNEF). He is currently rated by Lexpert as Consistently Recommended in intellectual property. His notable achievements in intellectual property litigation include acting as co-counsel in the well-known “patent diaper wars” between Kimberly-Clark and Proctor & Gamble as well as the “telecommunications wars” in Canada and the United States between AT&T, MCI and others on the subject of the pioneer patents for 800 and calling card services.

Vladimir Dementiev, a partner of Gowlings International Inc., is a senior patent attorney and Head of Patents. Mr. Dementiev has a doctorate in Russian civil law and more than twenty years of experience with the Russian Institute of Patent Examination. An expert in all aspects of intellectual property, he is currently the Vice- President of the Russian Patent Attorneys Association and a special adviser on patent law reform. Mr. Dementiev has been recognized for his expertise in patents by PLC Which Lawyer?, Guide to the World's Leading Patent Law Practitioners and The International Who's Who of Patent Lawyers.

Viacheslav Kliukin, a partner of Gowlings International Inc., is a senior patent and trade mark attorney and Head of Trade-marks. Mr. Kliukin has also worked as a patent examiner at the Russian Institute of Patent Examination and the USSR State Patent Office. Mr. Kliukin is a graduate of the Russian Institute of Intellectual Property and holds a degree in engineering and radio technology. He has been routinely recognized in The Legal 500 – Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Tamara Istomina is a senior trade mark attorney. She has a degree in chemistry from Moscow State University and is a graduate of the Russian Institute of Intellectual Property. Ms. Istomina has experience in all areas of trade mark practice, including prosecution, cancellation proceedings.

Julia Dementieva is a patent attorney. She is a graduate of the Russian Institute of Intellectual Property and Moscow State University having specialized in applied linguistics. Ms. Dementieva's practice focuses on patent prosecution and the co-ordination of patent work with agents from the CIS and Baltic Sea countries. Ms. Dementieva is a native Russian speaker and is fluent in English.

Anastassia Sinitsyna is a trade mark attorney. She holds degrees in linguistics from Moscow State Pedagogic University and civil law from Moscow Academy of Economics and Law. Ms. Sinitsyna's practice focuses on trade mark prosecution in Russia and CIS countries. She has experience in IPR asset management for a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company, and regularly advises clients on trade mark licensing and franchising matters. She is bilingual in Russian and English, with abilities in French and German.

Ekaterina Vershinskaya is a trade mark attorney. Having obtained her BA degree in linguistics in 1998, she continued her education at the Russian Institute of Intellectual Property. Ms. Vershinskaya speaks fluent Russian and English, and is capable in Spanish.

Legal & Litigation

Gowlings' legal and litigation professionals represent clients in virtually all industry sectors. Their expertise includes enforcement and protection of IP rights in court, at the antimonopoly authorities, governmental law enforcement agencies, as well as customs. They counsel multinationals on a full range of IP-related matters, including unfair competition, licensing and assigning IP rights, issues relating to the Internet, trade secrets and information protection, advertising, customs registration of IP objects, licensing and franchising.

Marina Drel, a partner of Gowlings International Inc., is Head of the Legal & Litigation Practice. Ms. Drel's practice and experience encompass legal representation in the courts of general jurisdiction and arbitration courts. She works intensively in combating infringement in intellectual property matters. Ms. Drel holds a PhD from the Law School of Moscow State University and an LLM from Dalhousie University (Canada). She speaks Russian and English fluently. Ms. Drel is recognized internationally as a leading expert in IP law in Russia and has been featured in Chambers Global, PLC Which Lawyer? and Guide to the World's Leading Trade Mark Law Practitioners.

Dmitry Semenov is a litigation lawyer with extensive experience in assisting Russian and foreign clients, both corporate and individual, in copyright protection, including successful anti-piracy activities and copyright litigation. He graduated from Moscow State University and received his LLM from the Russian School for Private Law of RF Private Law Research Center. Mr. Semenov speaks Russian and English fluently.

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